I'm all for biblical literacy.
I think it's embarrassing when the White House press secretary publicly misattributes a proverb to the Bible,
especially when it's such a classic of the Bible-misattribution genre: "God
helps those who help themselves."

Last Tuesday night, I went down to Chicago's Grant Park to witness
Barack Obama's election and victory speech. At the event, I was struck
by the fact that the crowd was at its loudest and most excited not when
Obama and his family took the stage but earlier, when CNN projected him
as the winner.

So I'm headed to DC this weekend, where I used to live and my fiancee
still does. We're excited to be in town for the inauguration—which isn't
to say that we managed to score swearing-in tickets from one of our
members of Congress.

President Obama spoke to students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia today, and his remarks
were simulcast in schools around the country. The president’s message
to American schoolchildren? Show up to school.

It's been a while since pals
Tavis Smiley and Cornel West took up the task of challenging President Obama
from his left flank. The talk-show host and the philosopher have taken some
heat for their criticism of the president, notably from political scientist
Melissa Harris-Perry.

Books on Barack Obama are proliferating. Recent additions include biographies, political analyses, a look into Obama's African family tree, books on his handling of specific issues and books on race and politics in American society. Among these, James Kloppenberg's intellectual contextualization stands out.